Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-03

1 btbtE DIbitItluts
Strange as il may appear to those
who have accustomed themselves to the
belief that polygamy is rife in the East.
the Brahmins do not approve OF ii. IL
is only permitted in these cases III q
woman is barren for the space Of ten
years; il she only produces female
children, and IL, after considerable
trial, she cannot agree with her hus-
band. In my frequent conversations
with the BrahmiD clerks attached TO the
service, who may be said to repre-
sent advanced young India" have
been repeatedly told that tbemoral and
intellt ctual progress Of the Brahmin is
regarded by the silly opposition of the
women and was led by an cxultant
scloolmaster TO his schoolhouse, where
he showed me little SILVA girl the
frst Brahmin girl" said he, ain that
district who had ever attended school,
and probably in ell India" He
told me that only after re-
peatcd entreaty did he succeed in
gaining her as pupil, and thai the
neighbors regarded this inno- ton with
! tyos appreheusiye Of t..ouble. for the
hiah-born maiden Was being taught the
language OF the hated conqueror. He
| Further told me that with the Rangi
women he had the greatest trouble; so
fearful were they Of losing caste that
they would not embrace or permit their
children who were attending school TO
enter the house until they had bathed,
through the fear that they had sat near
child of the Sudra caste.
Of oil European nations the Brah-
Minis have signalized the English alone
with doubtful compliment, for there
is extant tradition among them that
certain Brahmin sages visited in the
dim long ago England, and there
created white men, whom they called
Gandanes, or God-fearing men, but
ultimately these sages became dis
custed with the ancient Britons
on account of their keeping pariahs
os servants. The learned Brah-
min who told me of this tradition
failed, however, TO inform me who
created the pariah, or human being of
low degree. SO particular are the
EIahmins about the maintenance of
their caste that the richer of the COM
munity only employ bereaved Brahmin
widows, or their poor relatives, for the
execution of their household duties.
and it must be said that. no matter how
seryile may he the position of a Brah-
min in Brabmin household, no insult
is given. hut the seryitor is held i'll as
much consideration as is the master
= lie lot of the Hindoo widow is not
Happy one, for the law prevents her
from again entering the marriage state,
ard Therefore she is often compelled to
Aork for her livelihood. The Brah-
ninical law, so arbitrary in other re-
srects, is not the less so here. Widows
sIe compelled 20 wear white. to always
keep their heads shaved and covered,
hut the dhoi form of dress is preserved,
md even the doubtful pleasure of taking
snuff is withheld from them.
1t will be seen from what have said
that tie position of the Brahmin woman
in South India is enviable to that of
Ter sister in North India. Though she
is not regarded as an equal. shells lit
tie better than a chattel. The average
HindCo mind cannot receive n woman
as a human being possessed Of soul and
sensibility. Though she influences the
aspirations of her children aud shapes
their destinies, yet she is withheld
from sharing their triumphs or their
Measures. Feelings akin to pity arise in
The English breast, or rather, indigna-
zion, ss when passing through the ma
five villages lie sees engaged i'll severe
toll the women. whilst the men, squat
ting on the ground before their houses,
enjoy the cool of eventide, the songs of
tie wandering minstrel, or the latest
marvel from the lips OF the professional
stOry-teller. Ii IS reported that the
most cruel in their treatment OF the
women are the Iengars, who claim for
themselves more than ordinary at
tributes. The European is to him
no less an object of contempt
than pariah, and when the
Ienger talks with Griffin Gas newly
arrived Englishman in India IL called)
e does not fail to show his disdain,
fer fastidious Brahmins, when they
speak to Sudra or a European, are
accustomed to place their hand on the
stomach and, catching the holy thread,
present the back of the hand to the
person addressed, and at the close of
the conversation, by rotary motion,
they display the palm. To those who
choose to regard this as an insult 1t is
such.
The Prabmin is bundle of extraordi-
rary contradictions. Witness him buy
ing load of wood from pariah. He
halls the unfortunate creature, who,
setting down his burden, edges away
V hilst the Bramin examines it. The
Prahmin then moves away. The pariah
approaches the wood, and with his hand
teiore his mouth, lest his breath touch
ile person of the august pur-
chaser, he concludes the sale. No
parioh uses the public highway made by
/ Irish money aud under British super
vision while noble Brahmin passes
Trshnrin youths are beset from their
iirth with tedious restrictions the
dignity of their race and their own dig
nity is a theme which never tires with
tltir parents Perhaps their only lux
wy is that Of taking snuff, and in this
even the law interferes and lays down
D certain age when they may begin; to
a bachelor this pleasure is prohibited
snuh-taking can only begin with matri-
mOny.
The Tamil Brahmins have a pecu-
liarly poetic language, and though
their ideas are not always poetical, yet
they are generally picturesque. The
insect kingdom is the human world IN
disguise, ard accordingly they call the
bee Brahmin from its selfish exclu-
siveness and its dislike to insects other
than bees; the wasp is the videgar,
or priest; the erasshopper and
locust soldiers, from their de-
structive qualities; a large insect,
neing a species of glow-worm, q
cowherd or milkman the mosquito and
the flea, household servants the bug, a
Goctoi the butterfly, Brahmin wo-
man. and the horsehy, a dog. And, in
conclusion, should any of my readers
ever desire the speedy departure of a
Brahmin from his house, / have but to
say lei him call into the room dog
for TO a pure Brahmin dog or FOWLS
as much an adherence as is hog to an
orthodox Hebrew or to faithful follow
eTs Of Mohammed.
IL